Thursday, July 12, 2018

Last night in the City Council, an organized plan to have a series of public speakers advocate for an upzoned massive Stevens Institute redevelopment plan with new towers did not see a final vote.

The vote on the matter was tabled putting off a final decision.

Is it becoming a pattern in the Mile Sqaure City to see massive redevelopment plans approved after the July 4th holiday at the sole council meeting in July when Hoboken residents are least paying attention?

More towers like this at Stevens?
That's what was being hurtled
through the council last night.

The last massive redevelopment plan approved at 7th and Jackson went down similarly but this effort on behalf of Stevens Institute is especially suspect as there's hardly any public awareness whatsoever on the massive towers and upzoning redevelopment proposed.

A list of residents obviously organized by Stevens appeared in an effort to see the massive redevelopment quickly (and quietly) passed. A string of public speakers, many with direct connections to the school appeared and argued it was all positive. Many spoke of the lack of impact on Hoboken's environment and sightlines. Almost all of them are low rise living residents on the eastern side of town such as Hudson Street. They have no views as it is.

Many taxpayers in Hoboken however would see their views impacted by massive new towers atop the tallest location in the Mile Square. The impact of the plan was questioned by others and the lack of awareness in the public makes this summer redevelopment push all the more suspect.

It's obvious that the support from the Bhalla Administration is not enough to see the plan approved. It coordinated people to go to the microphone and push for a final vote but the council opted to table the vote. That's the difference between a City Council evaluating a massive redevelopment plan from where it sits and the Bhalla Administration that actively seeks to decimate it with a rubber stamp put in its place.

In order for a City Council vote to have any meaning, the public needs time to evaluate and discuss the impact to the wider community. That discussion hasn't even taken place and the massive redevelopment plan was being crammed downt their throats.

Dial it back and see what the public actually thinks and may have to offer by way of feedback before holding any final vote.

Some people ought to be ashamed of themselves.

Talking Ed Note: Lots of piss and vinegar about the stalled Washington St. project exhaled last night. None of it changes anything nor the project ownership by Mayor Ravi Bhalla who has failed to meet his promises to make Hoboken a priority in his neverending political ambition tour.

MSV will have more on the backtracking, promise-breaking and failed expectations on Washington St. to come. There's a lot of shady things going leading to this cluster. Whistleblowers, vendors, failed shadow mayors, etc. send your tale of woe to smartyjones@me.com.